Amsterdam - Kingpins is one of the largest denim trade fairs in the
world, and so - quite unsurprisingly - the most innovative and
forward-thinking players in the denim game are there. This year, amid
the sea of indigo blue denim and excited industry professionals, one word
seemed to proudly dominate the display booth fronts:
sustainability.

The issue of sustainability is
becoming more and more prevalent in the denim industry - and the fashion
industry as a whole. But does the word risk becoming more of a
label-selling buzzword than a call for action? That question was
bouncing around the walls of the Westergasfabriek in the heart of
Amsterdam on Wednesday, as industry professionals looked to clear up the matter.

“Our pipeline is ramping up like a hot plate in a chemistry lab, but
we’re not just focusing on what sounds good in marketing, we’re focusing on
what has a real world impact,” said Roian Atwood, Head of Sustainability at
Wrangler. He had just given a presentation about sustainable practices in
denim production at the Kingpins Transformers event, and was eager to sit
down with FashionUnited to explain more.

“Sometimes I’m frustrated because there's a love affair with our supply
chain in terms of the great work that's being done, but when you really see
the data, it doesn't look quite as significant as the marketing material. I
think a forum like this is the perfect platform for the discussion to peel
the layers back and see what’s really being done.”

In September, Wrangler became the first denim brand to embrace the new
‘Dry Indigo’ foam-dyeing process that eliminates 99 percent of the water
typically used in indigo-dyeing. But this is just one step in a much larger
picture, said Atwood. “We need to attack the issue from all angles if we
really want to resolve it, and that starts at the first stages of the
process, meaning sourcing and energy production. As an industry we need to
make sure everyone is doing their part in those key areas.”

Through working closely with American farmers and implementing a
"no-nonsense" rule on sustainable practices in their supply chain, Wrangler
hopes to advocate more transparency in denim production. “I’m very proud to
work for a company where, if you don't meet our compliance regulations, you
have a chance to fix it, and if you don’t, you’re out. I would challenge
every other actor in our supply chain to do the same because we don’t serve
our industry well when we have substandard innovations or technologies that
are simply marketing buzz that sounds great but doesn't pass the litmus
test.”

“Sustainability is more than just a marketing tool”

“It’s great that sustainability is being talked about more and more at
the moment,” Anatt Finkler, Creative Director of Global Denim Group, told
FahionUnited. “People are talking about having ozone used on their jeans,
and yes that is really good...on the finishing stages of production. To
really be sustainable you have to focus on it from the beginning - where
you create your energy and where you source your materials.” Finkler
explained that Global Denim uses a low-emission cogeneration plant, a water
treatment plant and CO2 recycling to focus on sustainability from the
bottom up. Global Denim has also set up a programme called Ecoloop, a
process that recycles discarded yarn which is then used in a line of jeans
(pictured).

“Today, talking about sustainability is more of a cool trend than an
aim,” Paolo Biondaro, Sales Manager at Italian Elleti group, told
FahionUnited. He believes that customers shouldn’t only be told about a
brand’s sustainability; they should be shown it. The group displayed a
unique student-designed capsule collection at Kingpins to showcase their
sustainable methods.

The selection - created by James Bear Mootram, Muhammad Umar Manzoor and
Maxime Linn, all former students of the Jean School, House of Denim -
placed denim made through traditional methods (pictured above) side by
side with denim made using their their more sustainable methods (pictured
below). “We know they’re not the same. We’re honest about that. What’s
important is that the difference between the traditional and the
sustainable alternative is only about 20 percent. Even with that
difference, the market is becoming more and more sustainability focused -
there’s much more of a ‘less is more’ mentality now.”

Proudly describing themselves as a “fresh and up-an-coming mill from
India,” Anubha Industries caught the eye with the bold ‘SUSTAINABILITY
FIRST’ logo that proudly stood next to its stand at Kingpins. The mill’s
sustainable approach was made clear when in 2017 it became the first Indian
denim mill to partner with Bluesign Technologies, a Swiss company whose
systems focus on sustainable textile production. “While other mills try to
have a line or concept based on sustainability, our whole ecosystem
revolves around it,” Akshat Chaudhary, Director of Anubha, told
FashionUnited. The idea is simple: I want to live in this world as long as
possible, so what can I do to ensure that?”

According to Chaudhary, the denim industry is taking big strides towards a
sustainable future, but everyone needs to do their fair share in order to
make the goal a reality. “It’s a network that needs to be worked on from
all sides. For us, we’re focusing a lot on water consumption at the moment.
One of our most bought products only use 5 litres of water per
kilogram.”

Splaying out pairs of jeans across the table of his booth, Donald
Mulazanni, Marketing Business Development Director of Garmon, was keen to
show off his new OVD dye collection to FashionUnited. The new dyeing method
uses 40 percent less water, 35 percent less energy and 40 percent less time
compared to conventional active dyeing methods. “Sustainability has always
been one of the three pillars driving Garmon, along with "The Italian Job" - Garmon's creative lab, ensuring the inimitable touch match with a striving attention to detail - and quality customer service,” Mulazanni
said. “We prove to our customers that we are sustainable minded, because
we’ve always been ahead of the curve. 5 years ago, we were already green
screen certified. Now everybody’s talking about sustainability.”

Mulazanni noted the increasing trend of sustainability in marketing, and
the importance of following through with tangible results. “For some
brands, it seems like more of a marketing tool than anything, but I think
slowly the industry is working towards a shared goal, though we can’t do
it alone,” he said. “Other industries like the laundry industry need to
follow us and replace their existing machines with new machines
implementing greener technologies. Our planet is in danger and customers
are becoming more concerned, so we want to offer a product that they can
buy and know that it isn’t killing the environment.”

The aim of Kingpins was immediately apparent when entering the doors of its
vast hall: increasing awareness towards sustainability in the denim
industry - and the fashion industry in general. The word was dotted around
the sea of stalls, and was the hot topic of excited conversations. But the
more important, underlying message was clear: sustainability is more than
just a marketing buzzword. The denim industry is becoming more and more
serious about sustainable practices, and it’s no longer enough to simply
say that you’re advocating change - you need to be able to prove it.